Out in August: Next Generation Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 Launch Is Confirmed; New Design to Rival iPad Air

The Galaxy Tab S2 is finally unveiled on Monday, July 20. Touted to be the "essential tablet for experiencing digital content", it combines a modern visual with optimum mobility.

Research firm IDC vice president and analyst Bryan Ma described the next generation tablet as "basically Galaxy Air".

"This is just Samsung's response to the products Apple keeps bringing out", he said.

Indeed, the new tablets have an alluring smooth and slim design, reminiscent of and challenging its fierce rival, the iPad Air.

According to Samsung's official announcement, the series includes two tablets-an 8.0-inch and a 9.7-inch, available with WiFi or WiFi and LTE. You will notice that the upcoming releases are smaller compared to last year's 8.4- and 10.5-inch tablets.

The tablets are thinner, however, as it comes in at 5.6mm, with the 8.0-inch weighing a measly 265 grams and the 9.7-inch, 389 grams-both beats Apple's iPad Air, which comes at 439 grams.

The Galaxy Tab S2 series boasts of a remarkable set of features. It comes with an octacore chip with two quad-core processors (1.9GHz and 1.3 GHz) and a 2048x1536 (QXGA) super AMOLED display. This is a bit of downgrade from the previous tablets' 2560x1600 display but that is due to being smaller in size.

Shifting the focus on the other features, users will not be disappointed. Running on Android 5.0 Lollipop, the tab series has incorporated a 3GB RAM with 32/64GB internal memory and microSD slot accommodating up to 128GB.

Photography buffs will love the 8MP AF rear camera and 2.1MP front camera. To further up the ante, Samsung equips the Galaxy Tab S2 series with an accelerometer, finger scanner, gyroscope, compass, hall sensor, and RGB sensor as well as an 8870mAh battery. The battery is an especially promising feature as it accommodates extended usage and hardcore gaming.

The tablets are set to hit stores around the world next month. Prices were not specified in the official announcement, but using the previous models as basis, iDigitalTimes estimates the price to be $399 for the 8.0-inch tablet and $499 for the 9.7-inch version.